Review: "Jumanji" Holds Onto its Charms (Happy B'day, Joe Johnston)

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 26 (of 2004) by Leroy Douresseaux

Jumanji (1995)
Running time:  104 minutes (1 hour, 44 minutes)
MPAA – PG for menacing fantasy action and some mild language
DIRECTOR:  Joe Johnston
WRITERS:  Jonathan Hensleigh, Greg Taylor, and Jim Strain; from a screenstory by Chris Van Allsburg, Greg Taylor, and Jim Strain (based upon the book by Chris Van Allsburg)
PRODUCERS:  Scott Kroopf and William Teitler
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Thomas Ackerman (D.o.P.)
EDITOR:  Robert Dalva
COMPOSER:  James Horner

FANTASY/ADVENTURE/FAMILY with elements of action and comedy

Starring:  Robin Williams, Jonathan Hyde, Kirsten Dunst, Bradley Pierce, Bonnie Hunt, Bebe Neuwirth, David Alan Grier, Patricia Clarkson, Adam Hann-Byrd, and Laura Bundy

The subject of this movie review is Jumanji, a 1995 fantasy adventure and family film directed by Joe Johnston.  The film is based on the Caldecott Medal-winning children’s picture book, Jumanji, which was first published in 1981 and was written and drawn by author Chris Van Allsburg.  This was the first of three films based on Van Allsburg’s books (as of this updated review).  Jumanji the movie focus on two children who must help a strange man finish playing a magical board game.

In 1969, Alan Parrish (Adam Hann-Byrd) and his friend Sarah Whittle (Laura Bundy) find an old board game, a jungle adventure called Jumanji, in Alan’s attic.  After rolling the dice, Alan somehow unleashes some kind of magical force and is sucked into the board game.  In 1995, two other children, Judy (Kirsten Dunst) and Peter Shepherd (Bradley Pierce) find the cursed board game and play it, unwittingly releasing the man-child, Alan (Robin Williams).

However, the game Alan began 26 years ago must be finished.  Also, from the bowels of Jumanji’s magical board, comes a stampeding horde of jungle creatures and a fearsome huntsman, Hunter Van Pelt (Jonathan Hyde), who has stalked Alan for decades.  Now, Alan joins the adult Sarah (Bonnie Hunt) in a magical adventure to save the town and end the game.

Even back in 1995, the computer generated images (CGI) for the film Jumanji seemed too obviously fake.  Many of the film’s scenes required animals of various sizes (giraffes, elephants, rambunctious monkeys) to run through, run over, and destroy the streets, homes, and buildings of a small township.  Getting that many live animals to cooperate would have been a logistical nightmare and likely impossible, so CGI animals were used.  The artificial animals all have a bluish tint on their bodies, heightening the sense of unreality.  The glitch was perfect; that the animals look so artificial could be taken to imply that the animals are part of a fantastical and magical nightmare.

Otherwise, the film is a fairly well directed and well-acted comic fantasy/adventure.  Robin Williams is, of course, his usual manic self, but this time it’s the franticness of an almost-action hero, rather than that of some attention-seeking clown.  It’s a fun family picture full of inspired zaniness, with very good performances from the entirety of the supporting cast, especially from the young cast.  I’ve seen it several times.  It’s silly, and the script bounces from one scene to another, but I recommend it as an excellent adventure film for the young and young at heart.

6 of 10
B

Updated:  Tuesday, May 13, 2014


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Review: "The Polar Express" Always a Wonderful Christmas Arrival

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 1 (of 2006) by Leroy Douresseaux

The Polar Express (2004)
Running time: 93 minutes (1 hour, 33 minutes)
MPAA – G
DIRECTOR: Robert Zemeckis
WRITERS: William Broyles, Jr. and Robert Zemeckis (based upon the book by Chris Van Allsburg)
PRODUCERS: Steve Starkey, Gary Goetzman, William Teitler, and Robert Zemeckis
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Don Burgess, A.S.C. and Robert Presley
EDITORS: Jeremiah O’Driscoll and R. Orlando Duenas
Academy Award nominee

FANTASY/ADVENTURE/ACTION/FAMILY

Starring: (also voices) Tom Hanks, Michael Jeter, Peter Scolari, Nona Gaye, Eddie Deezen, and Charles Fleischer with (voices only) Daryl Sabara and Jimmy Bennett

A boy, known in this story as Hero Boy (Tom Hanks/voice by Daryl Sabara), wants to believe in Santa Claus, but he’s old enough to start questioning the myths and traditions around Christmas. One Christmas Eve, a magical train named The Polar Express, arrives outside his home. Encouraged by the mysterious but friendly Conductor (Hanks), this doubting boy boards the train and heads towards the North Pole and Santa Claus’ (Hanks) home. There, he and two other children, Hero Girl (Nona Gaye) and Lonely Boy (Peter Scolari), embark on a journey of self-discovery.

I’m not crazy about the term, “instant classic.” However, I will apply it to the 2004 Christmas film, The Polar Express. Although it opened to mixed critical reviews and a less than stellar box office (compared to its budget), the film’s word of mouth kept its box office steady and strong on the way to becoming a blockbuster; the film even had a 2005 re-release to IMAX theatres. The Polar Express was one of the very best films of 2004 and will likely remain a popular Christmas film (certainly for me). One reason it will remain popular is because the film doesn’t look at Christmas from the point of view as a particular religious experience, but from the point of view as a holiday representing American can-do spirit, charity, and optimism. Like many popular Christmas film, it identifies with the notions that mark Christmas as a secular holiday, rather than a “holy day,” and the Christmas in this film is firmly rooted in American culture.

The film mixes computer-generated animation with a process called “3D motion capture.” In that method, the actors’ physical performances are digitally recorded and are later “skinned,” which means wrapping those recorded performances in computer animation. The Polar Express was the first film to use 3D motion capture for all the actors’ performances in the film. In fact, all the children’s performances are acted by adults, using over-sized props to get their movements within the physical environment correct.

The look motion capture gave the film was one of the reasons some critics had mixed feelings about The Polar Express, with one critic going so far as to say that the characters’ eyes looked creepy. Motion capture does make the characters look a little more like real people than regular computer animation. Here, the process works because the motion capture-rendered characters blend in so well with all with the CG animated props, sets, and backdrops. Basically, regardless of what processes the filmmakers used, The Polar Express has a unique look – you’ve never seen anything like it. It’s amazing; it’s magical.

Quite a bit of credit should go to Oscar-winning director Robert Zemeckis (Forrest Gump) as the ringmaster of this film. His script, co-written by William Broyles, Jr. (Apollo 13), is tight and concisely uses very little dialogue to establish character, which in turn allows the audience more time to focus on the film’s dazzling look. As a director, Zemeckis blends poignant comedy, a wondrous sense of adventure, and impressive action sequences to make a riveting and heartwarming Christmas fable.

The film treats Christmas as a secular affair – the true meaning of Christmas is on the inside, the Conductor tells Hero Boy. We can truly experience the magic of Christmas if we believe in that magic – Santa Claus, his home at the North Pole, his elves, etc. – and age doesn’t matter, as long as we believe. Friendship, sharing, humility, providing leadership, and relying on and trusting in friends – those are Christmas ideals in which we can all believe regardless of creed. The Polar Express extols those ideals in a way that only the best Christmas films can.

9 of 10
A+

NOTES:
2005 Academy Awards: 3 nominations: “Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Song” (Glen Ballard and Alan Silvestri for the song "Believe"), “Best Achievement in Sound Editing” (Randy Thom and Dennis Leonard), and “Best Achievement in Sound Mixing” (William B. Kaplan, Randy Thom, Tom Johnson, and Dennis S. Sands)

2005 BAFTA: 1 nomination: “BAFTA Children's Award: Best Feature Film” (Steve Starkey and Robert Zemeckis)

2005 Golden Globes: 1 nomination: “Best Original Song - Motion Picture” (Glen Ballard and Alan Silvestri for the song "Believe")

Sunday, January 01, 2006

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Review: "Zathura" is an Excellent Sci-Fi Adventure

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 73 (of 2006) by Leroy Douresseaux

Zathura: A Space Adventure (2005)
Opening date: November 11, 2005
Running time: 101 minutes; MPAA – PG for fantasy action and peril, and some language
DIRECTOR: Jon Favreau
WRITERS: David Koepp & John Kamps (based upon the book by Chris Van Allsburg)
PRODUCERS: Michael De Luca, Scott Kroopf, and William Teitler
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Guillermo Navarro
EDITOR: Dan Lebental

SCI-FI/FANTASY/ACTION/ADVENTURE/FAMILY with elements of comedy and drama

Starring: Josh Hutcherson, Jonah Bobo, Dax Sheppard, Kristen Stewart, Tim Robbins, and (voice) Frank Oz

After discovering a mysterious game called “Zathura” in the basement of their father’s (Tim Robbins) house, two brothers, 6-year old Danny (Jonah Bobo) and 10-year old Walter (Josh Hutcherson) find their home flying in space, after Danny begins to play the game. The brothers realize that they must finish the game by reaching the planet Zathura, or they’ll be trapped in space forever. If that weren’t enough, their doubting sister, Lisa (Kristen Stewart), is trapped with them. The bossy Astronaut (Dax Sheppard) is eating all the food they have in the refrigerator, and a vicious alien race of flesh-eating lizards, the Zorgons, is trying to destroy everyone and the house.

Zathura: A Space Adventure is the third film based upon a book by children’s storybook author, Chris Van Allsburg, following Jumanji and The Polar Express. In fact, Zathura was a kind of follow up to Jumanji, as both books dealt with children finding enchanted board games that send them on perilous adventures. Director Jon Favreau (Elf) also made a point of using practical effects as much as possible over computer generated images (CGI). In a way, Zathura is Favreau’s nod to the sci-fi and fantasy films of the late 1970 and the 1980’s that used miniatures, puppets, on-set pyrotechnics, superbly crafted props, makeup, and creature effects (suits and prosthetics) because there was no CGI to create fantastic worlds, creatures, and situations. Favreau’s film especially seems to reference Steven Spielberg’s early work (Close Encounters of the Third Kind and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial), in particular the Spielberg’s use of light and sound to create the presence of otherworldly creatures.

In fact, the film has an old-timey charm to it. It’s not the grand, testosterone, CGI extravaganza’s like the Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings franchises or The Chronicles of Narnia that have come to define big, family-oriented, event fantasy films. Favreau relies on a savvy crew of craftsman, engineers, technicians, artists, etc. that use its collective hands and wits to build on-set special effects. There is some CGI, and it is almost never as impressive as the non-computer stuff. Everything seems so real and earthy. The perils are dangerous, but not so dangerous that two resourceful boys couldn’t survive it. Favreau’s real effects have a way of making the viewer feel that he’s in that house with Walter and Danny, racing to find a way home.

In telling this story of sibling rivalry, children of divorce, and brotherly love and bonding, Favreau leans heavily on his leads, Josh Hutcherson and Jonah Bobo. They are wonderful and have superb screen chemistry. They create a big brother/little brother dynamic that is uncannily genuine. Hutcherson’s performance as a pre-teen boy is excellent and, ironically, beyond his years. He’s definitely a pro, and he acts more than he pretends (still a problem with some child actors). Bobo as Danny is surprisingly emotive. His performance comes alive in his facial expressions and in his wide, expressive eyes. He buys into Zathura’s scenario and has fun. Kristen Stewart is also fun in a woefully small and underutilized part as the sister, Lisa. I found Dax Sheppard’s performance as The Astronaut to be a mixed bag; sometimes he was good, and other times he wore his performance on his sleeve by overacting.

A flop when it was released in early fall of 2005, Zathura: A Space Adventure is a throwback film aimed at an audience (particularly young boys) that is more familiar with wide open CGI films than it is with old-fashioned sci-fi yarns that recall the golden age of juvenile sci-fi: rockets, boy astronauts, and reptilian aliens. They weren’t even born when miniature props and puppetry made hits of films like Gremlins and The Last Starfighter. Zathura’s tale of brother’s working together and of discovery has a sense of fun that is as wide-eyed as Jonah Bobo’s Danny. It’s a simple adventure film that may find a long, deserved life on TV.

7 of 10
A-

Saturday, April 15, 2006

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